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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. current — happening now
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. season — of the year
  13. court — of law
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pass — a permit
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. season — in sport
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com